New York White-Collar Crimes Defense Lawyer
Federal and New York state prosecutors take white-collar crimes extremely seriously. After certain high-profile white-collar criminals ended up with lesser punishments than some members of the public deemed fair, lawmakers and prosecutors responded with a vengeance. If you or your company are facing investigation for a white-collar crime, or if you have been indicted for a white-collar criminal offense, it is vital that you contact a knowledgeable and effective white-collar criminal defense lawyer as soon as possible to start building your defense and protecting the future of your business, your professional license, your livelihood, and your freedom. A seasoned New York criminal defense attorney at Dupée & Monroe can help you defend against white-collar criminal charges or prevent them from being brought in the first place.
What is White-Collar Crime?
When people think of white-collar crime, they often think of mobsters, crime rings, or large-scale pyramid schemes. This is what we have been taught by Hollywood to picture when thinking about white-collar crime. However, not all white-collar crimes are so grandiose or sinister. Many white-collar crimes involve inconspicuous transactions that happen to run afoul of some arcane or technical federal or state law.
Generally, white-collar crime refers to non-violent offenses, typically dealing with money theft, general fraud, or social scams. In the modern era, many white-collar crimes involve the use of the internet. White-collar crimes often involve businesses and business dealings in addition to individual defendants. They can involve long, complex stories with complicated financial transactions and maneuvers, or they can manifest more simply as alleged scams or direct frauds. The experienced, detail-oriented white-collar criminal defense attorneys at Dupée & Monroe are prepared to defend clients charged with any or all types of white-collar crime.
Types of White-Collar Crime
The white-collar criminal defense attorneys at Dupée & Monroe have years of experience defending New York residents accused of a variety of serious crimes, ranging from the straightforward to the complex and technical. We represent defendants under investigation or indictment for a range of state and federal white-collar crimes, including the following:
- Medicare and healthcare fraud
- Tax fraud
- Insider trading
- Identity theft
- Bankruptcy fraud
- Social security fraud
- Piracy or intellectual property theft
- Credit card theft
- Forgery
- Embezzlement
- Mail and wire fraud
- Money laundering
- Internet crimes
- Ponzi schemes
Punishments for White-Collar Crimes
Federal and New York prosecutors are extremely aggressive when it comes to pursuing white-collar crimes. Many prosecutors see aggressive takedowns of white-collar criminals as a feather in their cap for public or political support, and the public is not sympathetic to accused white-collar defendants. Unfortunately, the way that the criminal statutes are drafted allows prosecutors to seek extremely severe sentences.
Mail and wire fraud, for example, involve the use of the internet or electronic communications to perpetrate a fraud. Technically, each individual communication constitutes a separate offense. In other words, if someone perpetuates a fraud by sending out emails containing false information, each email can constitute a separate count in the indictment. Each count is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, in addition to massive fines. Sending five scam emails can thus technically expose you to 100 years in prison.
Your defense attorney will, of course, argue that such a punishment would be outrageous, but it will ultimately be up to the court to decide, or the terms of a plea bargain will determine it. It is vital to have a strong-willed, passionate, and savvy white-collar criminal defense lawyer in your corner when you are dealing with white-collar charges to avoid being railroaded with draconian punishments.
Protect Yourself Against White-Collar Criminal Charges With the Help of Our Hudson Valley Criminal Defense Lawyers
If you are under investigation or have been indicted for a white-collar crime, contact Dupée & Monroe, P.C., in Goshen. We represent clients involved in federal and state investigations or who are charged with white-collar offenses and other serious crimes in Orange County and throughout the Hudson Valley.
